Stagecoach

1.        In class, we watched a clip on John Ford, Stagecoach, and a look back at the Western classic. Ford wanted to make a film unlike any of his previous ones. He wanted a good story, one an audience would be surprised. The clip also talked about the before and after effect of casting John Wayne. Until Stagecoach, he was unfamiliar to many studios. Ford really wanted Wayne for the film, but Wayne was unsure of the role. Eventually, Wayne went for it and joined the cast. The studio behind the film was unsure of Wayne, because of test screenings, they didn't like the way he walked, talked or looked, but Ford made sure that they would give him a chance. So they did, and it proved to be successful. The film was a box office hit, won major Oscars, and made John Wayne an icon.

2.       The article I chose was on a look back on the film. The article talked about the retrospect on the classic Western. It also celebrated the release of it on DVD/Blu-Ray and a screening of the film at Harvard. Aspects of the film was discussed, as was it's imagery. Including the introduction of John Wayne's character, an iconic closeup of Wayne twirling a gun. There is accounts of how the movie inspired many filmmakers. It is claimed that director Orson Welles watched Stagecoach over 40 times to prepare himself to film Citizen Kane. John Ford broke ground when making the film and made history after it's release.

http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2010/05/23/with_stagecoach_ford_delivered_iconic_images/

3.       No one would expect Stagecoach to become a hit. Ford went everywhere to get the film to be made at a major film studio. All of them said that the Western genre was dying and not as popular as it seemed later on decades later. When the film was green light, Ford knew he wanted an unknown John Wayne to star in it. Wayne had starred in over 80 movies, but mostly they were B-movies and he was used as an extra. Stagecoach will forever to be known as one of the greatest westerns of all time and one of the most influential films of all time, inspiring many filmmakers, some to this day.

4.      Watching black and white films is still a new experience to me. Some of them happen to be the most influential and iconic films of all time and with me being a future filmmaker, I'm all for watching films that would inspire me to make films. Watching Stagecoach made me wonder what kind of filmmaker John Ford is. It was a great experience to watch it and to see how the film effects me and see if it would inspire my future film making career.

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.


Name: Brian Meyers     Date: 3/19/13